Safety ski heel binding

ABSTRACT

A CABLELESS SAFETY SKI HEEL BINDKING IS PROVIDED. THE BINDING INCLUDES TWO SPRINGS, ONE ARRANGED IN THE HORIZONTAL DIRECTION AND THE OTHER ARRANGED INCLINED FORWARDLY RELATIVE TO THE SKI. THE STRESSES OF THE RESPECTIVE SPRINGS ARE ADJUSTED PROPORTIONALLY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY BY A SINGLE SCREW ADJUSTING MEANS BY THE MEDIUM OF A TOGGLE LINKAGE.

12, 1971 TOKUYASU HASHIOKA f 3,554,572

' SAFETY SKI HEEL BINDING Filed Dec. 5, 1968 INVENTOR 75kumsu HASHIOkA ATTORNEY 3,554,572 SAFETY SKI HEEL BINDING Tokuyasu Hashioka, Tokyo, Japan, assignor to Hope Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, Japan, a corporate body of Japan Filed Dec. 3, 1968, Ser. No. 780,861 Claims priority, application Japan, Dec. 11, 1967, 42/ 79,625 Int. Cl. A63c 9/084 U.S. Cl. 28011.35 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cableless safety ski heel binding is provided. The binding includes two springs, one arranged in the horizontal direction and the other arranged inclined forwardly relative to the ski. The stresses of the respective springs are adjusted proportionally and simultaneously by a single screw adjusting means by the medium of a toggle linkage.

The present invention relates to a safety binding for a ski and more particularly to a safety binding for the ski boot heel. The binding for the ski boot heel is attached to the ski together with a cooperating toe fixture.

It is generally agreed that a safety ski heel binding should removably fasten the boot heel by means of two separate stresses, one stress being in the horizontal direction and the other in the vertical direction, with respect to the ski. Various types of prior art devices have been proposed to provide and adjust these separate stresses and consequently of the degree of safety.

In one type of conventional safety ski heel binding, the stresses in the horizontal and vertical directions are separately adjusted. But inconveniences and disadvantages have been experienced, with the adjustment of the horizontal stress, because the heel fixture is slidably positioned along the ski by separately loosening and tightening relatively many nuts which are screwed onto bolts.

In another type of such conventional safety bindings, the stresses in the both directions are simultaneously and proportionally adjusted through a single adjusting means. However, in this type it is difficult to accomplish a satisfactory and subtle adjustment of the tightening force on the ski boot heel.

Referring further to conventional safety ski heel bindings, the turning displacement of the heel engaging means, just before they begin unlocking, i.e., the heel-releasing position, is relatively large. As a result of that large movement, vertical play of the heel may be experienced because an upward thrust of the heel may not be suflicient to effect the release of the heel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an objective of the present invention to provide a safety ski heel binding wherein a more satisfactory adjustment of the heel tightening force is possible.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a safety ski heel binding wherein the heel releasing operation is very sharp, that is, the vertical play of the heel (fastened in normal skiing operations) is re- 'duced to an unobjectionable degree, except when the heel is released.

It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a safety ski heel binding wherein stresses in the horizontal and vertical directions are adjusted proportionally and simultaneously by a single adjusting means.

In accordance with the present invention, a safety ski heel binding comprises a base attached to the ski, side frame slidably guided in engagement with the base United States Patent 3,554,572 Patented Jan. 12, 1971 ice in the lengthwise direction relative to the ski through the medium of a first compressed spring arranged along the base, and a casing turnably fixed to the rear upper end portion of the side frames. A first link is rotatably fixed at one end portion thereof to the lower fore portion of the casing and the other end portion thereof to the middle portion of the second link. A second link is rockably pivoted at the upper portion thereof to the upper fore portion of the side frames and the lower portion thereof to one end of the first compressed spring arranged along the base. An unlocking lever is rockably fixed to the rear upper end portion of the side frames where the casing is also rotatably fixed. A connecting link is rotatably connected at one end thereof to the fore end portion of the unlocking lever and at the other end thereof to the said middle portion of the second link. Second compressed spring is provided between a spring-receiving means connected to the rear middle portion of the second link and another spring-receiving means provided to the rear upper portion of the casing so that a dynamic production of the second spring intersects the straight-line between the centers of two pivots of said first link.

When the described safety binding is in the locking position, the heel is tightened by the stresses of the said first spring as well as that of the second spring.

In case an accidental severe upward thrust of the heel causes the foremost pivot of the first link to swing up above the dynamic production of the second spring, the casing is thrown upwardly about the rear upper end portion of the side frames, thereby releasing the heel completely. Then, the stress of the second spring contributes to the upwardly swinging movement of the casing through the links. The degree of turning displacement of the said foremost pivot of the first link, until the center thereof is raised above the dynamic production of the second spring, is so small that the heel releasing operation of the present binding is very sharp.

In order to make it easier to understand the other objectives and features of the present invention, a detailed explanation shall be made hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the basic structure of the safety ski heel binding according to this invention in the locking position.

FIG. 2 is also a schematic diagram of the same as FIG. 1 in the unlocking position.

FIG. 3 is a side view, partially cut-away, of the safety ski heel binding according to this invention in the locking position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference numeral 1 denotes a base attached to the ski and having a vertical wall 2 at the rear end thereof. An adjusting screw 3 passing partly through the first compressed spring 18 is rotatably fixed to the vertical wall 2 and reference numeral 4 is a head thereof. Side frames 5 and 5 opposite to each other are slidably engaged to the base 1 to the lengthwise direction of the ski and slots 6 and 6 are made almost parallelly to the base 1 at the lower portions of the frames respectively. A springreceiving means 7 is provided with projecting parts 25 and 25 passing through the slots 6 and 6 in the side frames 5 and 5 and is screwed by the adjusting screw 3, so that it is movably to and fro. A casing 10 having a heel engaging means 8 and a heel bottom receiving means 9 at the fore end face thereof is turnably fixed over the side frames 5 and 5 by means of a pin 11.

Further, the side frames 5 and 5 and the casings 10 and 10 are connected through the medium of two links 12 and 13 of the toggle mechanism. The one end portion of the first link 12 is rotatably connected to the casing 10 with a pin 15 and the other end portion thereof is rotatably connected to the middle portion of the second link 13 which is rotatably connected at the upper end portion thereof to the side frames with a pin 16 and so arranged that in a locking position the two links are aligned almost on a straight line, The lower end portion of the second link 13 is provided with a spring-receiving means 17 rotatably connected to a bar thereof and to the first spring 18 is arranged parallel to the ski between the spring-receiving means 17 and 7. The second link 13 is provided at middle portion thereof with a spring-receiving means 19 rotatably connected to a bar thereof. The second compressed spring 20 is arranged between said spring-receiving means 19 and another spring-receiving means 21 fixed to the rear upper portion of the casing so that the dynamic production of the second spring may intersect the straight line between the centers of the pins 14 and in the locking position, preferably the lower portion thereof. An unlocking lever 23 having an operating part 22 outside of the casing 10' is turnably piv oted with a pin 11 and is operatively connected to the pin 14 through tthe medium of a connecting link 24.

There are two ways to turn the casing 10 from the locking position shown in FIG. 1 to the unlocking position shown in FIG. 2. One is to press down the operating part 22 of the unlocking lever 23 so as to carry the center of the pin 14 backwardly and upwardly through the medium of the connecting link 24 and the other is an abnormal severe upward thrust enough to turn the casing 10 about the pin 11, that is, enough to carry the center of the pin 14 backwardly and upwardly, to be applied to the heel engaging means 8. In both cases, as soon as the dynamic production of the second spring comes to intersect with the production of the straight line of the first link 12, pressure of the second spring 20 having contributed to turn the casing counter-clockwise direction just before causes the casing 10 to turn clockwise direction. The degree of turning displacement of the foremost pivot 15 of the first link 12 above the dynamic production of the second spring 20 is so small that the heel releasing operation of the present binding is very sharp.

In operation, when the safety binding is in the locking position as shown in FIG. 3, the heel of the boot is fixed in the position by the pressure of the first spring 18 as well as that of the second spring 20. Desirable pressures of the two springs 18 and 20 are obtained proportionally and simultaneously by a very simple operation of turning the head 4 of the adjusting screw 3, The locking position is automatically reached by stepping on the binding in the unlocking position with the boot heel and pressing downwardly the heel bottom receiving means 9 against the pressure of the second spring 20 and that of the first spring 18. When the heel bottom receiving means 9 is pressed down to the locking position by the ski boot, the side frames 7 as well as casing 10 are carried backwardly through the medium of the springs 18 and 20, and as a result of reaction of the springs 18 and 20, they provide a vertical and a horizontal stress to the ski boot proportionally and simultaneously through the toggle linkage.

Depending on sizes of ski boot and desirable pressures, the present ski heel binding is adjusted by moving the side frames 5 as well as casing 10 to and fro through the medium the first spring 18 and the spring-receiv ng means 7 by turning the head 4 of the pressure adjusting screw 3.

Although the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiment thereof, it is obvious that these may be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the claims and the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety ski heel binding comprising, in combination, a base adapted to be attached to a ski; said base having side guide members and a rear vertical wall member,

two side frames positioned opposite to each other and slidably connected to the said guide members of said base and guided along the lengthwise direction of the said base,

a spring-receiving means provided between said side frames, an adjusting screw screwed onto said springreceiving means, said adjusting screw being protruding through a hole in said vertical wall at the rear portion of said base,

a casing positioned above the side frames, said casing being turnably pivoted on a casing pin and having an upper heel engaging means and a lower heel bottom receiving means,

a toggle mechanism comprising a first link rotatably pivoted at one end portion thereof to the casing with a first pin, the first link being also pivoted at its other end portion thereof to a second link with a second pin, the second link being pivoted at its one end portion thereof to said side frames with a third pin,

a first normally compressed spring means secured between the free end of said second link and said spring-receiving means, and

a second normally compressed spring means secured between the center portion of said second link and the rear upper portion of the casing and so arranged that in the locking position a dynamic production of the first spring means, which is inclined inwardly against the axis of the first link, intersects the straight line between the center of the said first pin and that of said second pin or is extension,

wherein said casing attains a normal heel locking position and a heel unlocking position.

2. A safety ski heel binding as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising spring-receiving guide means wherein projecting parts project from both sides of the said springreceiving means, said projecting parts being movably engaged within horizontal slots in said side frames.

3. A safety ski heel binding as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising an unlocking means which comprises an unlocking lever having an operation part projecting outside of the said casing, said lever being pivoted with said casing pin, said lever being connected to a connecting link turnably fixed at one end portion thereof to the end of said unlocking lever and turnably fixed at the other end portion thereof to said second pin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,366,394 1/1968 Shimizu 280-1135 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,503,066 11/1967 France 28011.35

BENJAMIN HERSH, Examiner I. A. PEKAR, Assistant Examiner 

